Battle of Tokyo
The Allied Pacific Fleet had finally been reinforced from Allied shipyards across the world, so that it was now able to command a presence in the Pacific Ocean. As the Black Tortoise had to stay in Santa Monica in order to support the occupation, the Allies only had to steam across the sea, no small charge in itself, to reach Japan. The Empire, by expanding too fast, had left its home island vulnerable. The Allies put all their Pacific resources into one strike to end the war once and for all. To lead such a gamble, Field Marshal Bingham sent two of his most able commanders, Commander Alex Manning and Major Lissette Hanley, to lead most of the Allied Marines onto Tokyo itself. Even still, this was a daunting task; the task force was going straight into the mouth of Japan, and the Rising Sun merely had to bite and the Allies would once again have lost the Pacific; possibly for good. The reason Tokyo was chosen at all was because of the important war industry located there, as well as a conference to be held by Prince Tatsu and most of his remaining Shogunate (save for Kamina, who was fighting in Pearl Harbour) that Allied spies had found out would take place in the city. Timing was critical. However, not all was well in Japan. Emperor Tatsu, still gravely affected by his father's death, was losing hold of the situation. Depending all his life on science and technology to solve problems, he was neglecting the Empire and the war to devise newer, larger weapons to win the war forever. He was so involved in the design of a giant fortress, capable of moving and supporting a squadron of fixed-wing aircraft, that he ignored report after report of the Allied fleet. Soon enough, he would have to face it in his very gardens. Force Composition Allied Task Force Operation Blue Hurricane was the entire Pacific campaign to attack Tokyo, as well as all secondary efforts. While the majority of the Pacific Fleet was to attack Pearl Harbour so as to divert the Imperial Navy away from Japan itself, the 6th Task Force, comprised of a fleet of ships under the command of Admiral Malcolm Swinburne, would detach from the Pacific Fleet to attack Tokyo. The 6th Task Force was composed of two Von Esling-class Aircraft Carriers, and two Pennsylvania-class battleships (the only type available in the Pacific due to its American design.) The Von Esling itself, the first of its class, served as the flagship. Deathly lacking was escort vessels for a task force of its size, with barely enough hydrofoils to defend against air attacks. While on route, mathematicians specifically chosen for this task were calculating precise firing trajectories and flight plans, to strike at very specific targets in Tokyo based on civilian maps and reports from spies. The 2nd Allied Marine Corps, now that Cuba was stable enough that they were no longer needed as a garrison, was reinforced and rearmed for the attack. As well as the extra support, new Assault Landers were provided to better land tanks and armoured vehicles. Air support was also increased. Each division's command was supplanted by Commanders Lissette and Manning. As landing in the city itself was infeasible, Lissette's 1st Division was to land in Yokohama Harbour while Manning's 2nd Division landed across the bay from Tokyo, hoping the two would be able to pincer the city itself before reinforcements swarmed in. To provide additional air support, 6 Cryocopters would ride on the deck of the Von-Esling and the Republic as they headed for Tokyo to provide close air support for the ground troops. In addition, the 309th Fighter Squadron and the 621st Tactical Bomber Squadron made a 5,000 mile long haul flight from San Fransisco (with mid air refuelling) all the way to Tokyo. They were to then to operate from prefabricated forward airbases when they reached the front. This endeavour was an attempt to catch the Empire off guard, especially since the only carrier capable of supporting and resupplying a notable number of aircraft was to participate in the attack in Pearl Harbour. To date, no one has yet broken the record for the longest non-stop flight made by a light aircraft of 5133.13 miles, jointly held by the Vindicators and Apollos that fought in the Battle of Tokyo. Imperial Forces The Imperial Honor Guard, shamed by their failure to protect the Emperor at Mt. Fuji, were no doubt determined to not fail and to uphold the honour of the Rising Sun. Already, though, changes were apparent. The Honor Guard had to recruit more and more men of common blood to replace those that fell at Mt. Fuji, thinning the blood of the Honor Guard to uncomfortably "low" levels. The Striker-VXs were not replaced, their relative uselessness established early on. Most distressingly was Tatsu’s choice in his personal guards. Bowing to tradition, he chose swordsmen from the Zatoichi ranks to guard him (a tradition he considered wasteful), but in stark contrast to the noble and stoic men who served his fathers, Tatsu’s bodyguards were little more than brutal killers, though they did have their own sense of duty. Tokyo was at all times protected from invasion by its garrison. A large mix of men, mecha, and tanks, it was ready to fight off any foe, no matter what form it took. Three King Oni were in Tokyo at all times, usually standing motionless with one in each of the three gardens of the Imperial palace, easily seen by all. As well as conventional forces, more of the Emperor’s warriors from elsewhere stood ready to defend the capital. Shinobi were hidden throughout the city, while a group of Rocket Angels were serving as Mikos in the Meiji Shrine, but had brought along their gear in case of attack. Tatsu divided the command of all Imperial forces between himself and his shoguns. Nagama commanded the men and armour from the Imperial Palace, Tenzai the mecha from his own command mecha, and Tatsu led his Honor Guard from the front, showing an unusual level of chivalry. Allied intelligence also noted a bizarre, star like structure in the middle of the city. However, it was unknown what purpose this building had. While it could been a weapon, it could also have been a movie theatre, so the Allies didn't risk wasting an attack on it. Barbarians at the Bay The Allies were pleasantly surprised to find that the Tokyo metropolitan area had already been largely evacuated, as the Japanese way of fighting dictated that if the home island was invaded, the people should find shelter while the gaijin are thrown back. In any case, the 1st Marines, led by Lissette in the MCV itself, disembarked while the fleet was still moving and landed in Yokohama Harbour. Within minutes she was met by the vast majority of the Tokyo garrison besieging her base. Though the armour support landings pushed the Japanese back, Lissette was faced with a long, brutal 25 kilometres to the heart of Tokyo. This did leave a large question on the Allies' minds: why were the Japanese throwing all their troops at only one attack? In any case, while the 2nd disembarked, the capital ships found their places in Tokyo harbour. Using the firing plans compiled during the trip, each ship started firing at strategic targets. The Republic launched all its drones at Tenzai Robotics, demolishing the large structure. The Idaho bombarded the Nagama Dojos using its guns and cruise missiles, killing most of the cadets there and reducing the grounds to craters. The Louisiana in the meantime shot its cannons and rockets point blank into the Shirada Docks, destroying most of the ships under construction and the facilities. The Siroko, however, launched from its docks prematurely, destroying the dry dock in the process. Though its Point Defense Shield was inoperative, it rammed the Lousiana anyways, smashing the two ships together. Their crews boarded each other in an attempt to destroy the other ship, fighting with pistols, beam katanas, and wrenches, throughout the rest of the battle. Unfortunately, the initial wave of aerial strikes on enemy defensive emplacements and forces was delayed as the aircraft were still being slowly refuelled after their long haul flight from San Fransisco. The Von Esling, in the meantime, decapitated the entire command hierarchy of the Rising Sun by destroying Toyama High Command, the headquarters for all military forces. Though the Allies hoped that Tatsu was there, in truth he and his Shogunate were meeting in the Imperial Palace. The bombardment was so accurate not one structure was damaged collaterally. In a space of a few minutes, the Rising Sun's ability to wage war was crippled. However, the capital ships had expended most of their ammunition and drones in this one devastating attack, and would ill be able to support ground operations. If the city itself could not be taken, the damage would be repaired and it would all be for nothing. Without further delay, the 2nd landed in Chiba, across the bay from Tokyo, in order to set up a base and drive around the bay to enter Tokyo from the other side of the 1st. However, the reason the 2nd wasn't met at landing soon became obvious. From across the bay, the large star shaped building noted by Allied intelligence opened up. A smaller piece of the building literally floated above the rest, as a massive spike of activity built up. At the same time, Manning's base, including most of his infantry were obliterated in a giant blast of psionic energy, though some of his armour and all of his artillery survived due to landing later. Manning himself was on the Von Esling, and wasn't harmed, and the Construction Yard was damaged but still operating. Fortunately, the Empire had not spotted the small cluster of airfields located quarter of a mile off shore of the original landing spot, and the Allied air force bombardment continued unabated. Now with no way to drive up the coast, Manning had to turn to a more audacious plan, transmitting a new set of orders to the chief engineer of the MCV. Gulping, the engineer began building something entirely different. To protect it, several Assault Destroyers landed and guarded the Construction Yard to stop any counterattack. In the meantime, the 1st had reached the Tama river and were in a pitched battle between it, with the Allies occupying Kawasaki and the Rising Sun defending Ota. Neither side could effectively break through; though units occupied land across the river, another unit would be thrown back. Neither side was willing to back down. Hoping to break the stalemate, Prince Tatsu sent his Honor Guard in. Along with the extra men, his Zatoichi bodyguard entered the fray. Orami, a brutal sadist, disemboweled Allied (and occasionally Rising Sun) soldiers, often using his psychic powers to rush all blood through the wound in one fountain of gore. Hanyo was just as brutal, but upon finding an abandoned child in a stroller, took pity on it and pushed it around the whole battlefield, leaving it only to fight. Yuzi was more subtle: the only female bodyguard in Japanese history, she disguised herself as a housewife wearing a kimono and carrying an umbrella, only to kill Peacekeepers with the sword hidden in it. Finally, the resupply of the 621st Tactical Bomber Group was complete and the Vindicators were able to launch for the first time in the conflict. In a few short minutes, they had located the Grasshopper, and a dozen BD-8 bombs struck the Grasshopper in the face, putting it out of action. Another flight of Vindicators ambushed a battalion of Tsunami Tanks in transit, destroying one fifth of them and damaging twenty more before they were reinforced by the 34th Mecha Division. This forced the other divisions of Tsunamis originally guarding the Psionic Decimator and Imperial Palace to move down to the coast to reinforce the battered front. Lady Fury Ignored by the Allies was the Shiro Sanitarium, thought to be a simple place for the sick of mind and thus of no military value. Little did they know of what was inside of it, finally captured after a rampage at the front line and again interned within. With most of the guards fighting outside, the few men inside were obliterated as this force sought to be free. A Sky Knight flying overhead managed to catch sight of the event with its camera while flying back to its carrier after a sortie. Manning and Swinburne watched in horror as the roof of the Shiro Sanitarium split open, with Yuriko Omega emerging from the wreckage. Looking over the city, the disturbed girl saw that invaders were defiling her home once more. However, she seemed more interested in the areas that had just been hit by the Psionic Detonator. Floating above the waters of Tokyo Bay, she came across the Allied fleet, which despite the danger didn’t immediately know what to do. Yuriko made the decision for them. She gestured towards a hydrofoil and after a moment of shrieking metal the small boat snapped in two and sank. At this point the fleet maneuvered out of the way of the girl, but she had just begun. With a giggle she pushed the Goddard into the Maxwell, heavily damaging both ships. By now crew members were trying to shoot at her with small arms, but the distances between ships was too great to allow this. Ignoring the bullets around her, Yuriko eyed her next toy, the Idaho. Slowly lifting up the great ship as it stopped firing to prevent its shells and missiles from careening into civilian areas, she started turning it over until it was upside down and dropped it into the ocean, destroying all three turrets in the process. Much of the crew survived, but the Idaho was no longer combat capable. Even this ghastly act didn’t stop Yuriko’s wish for destruction. Bringing a Sky Knight down to her level, she intuited where it was going by simply looking at what direction it was trying to go. Following the trapped drone, she found the Von Esling and started lifting it up again, bending many bulkheads while she did it. It looked like Manning and Swinburne were doomed. However, help came from above. On land, an Athena spotter truck was close enough to the water in order to paint Yuriko with its designators. Yuriko was too busy to notice three visible spectrum beams converge on the spot of water she was floating on, but she did notice when a beam of solar energy slammed on to her. An Athena Satellite is usually too inaccurate to hit a human being, though, and this case was no different, as the beam hit slightly to Yuriko’s right. Yuriko lived, but her right arm was very badly burned. Eyewitness disagree whether her reaction was one of pain, anger, or even a tantrum, but what is known is that the battered Von Esling was dropped into the water, and Yuriko flew up into the sky. According to Space Patrol, Yuriko literally flew into space and grabbed the Athena Satellite that had shot at her and physically aimed it elsewhere. The spotter truck was first destroyed, and then Yuriko went berserk, shooting randomly into Tokyo harbour, fortunately missing most ships. The Von Esling, however, was hit by the last beam, but the satellite at this point had so little energy that all Manning and Swinburne received was a sun burn. With the satellite spent, Yuriko fell exhausted somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Chrono Storm At the 2nd's base, a large structure was finally assembled using material constructed by the Construction Yard. The Rising Sun had noticed it, and had sent their squad of Rocket Angels to destroy it. While banks of computers calculated the many variables of the operation, the Construction Yard packed back up, with the Guardian Tanks and Athena cannon collecting around it. As soon as possible, Manning authorized the Chronosphere to teleport the whole contingent across the bay into Shiba Park, in the heart of Tokyo itself! The Rocket Angels were ordered to turn back just as they came to the Chronosphere, and were ordered back to destroy the new threat. Under the shadow of the Tokyo Tower, the MCV once again packed up and started constructing a fortified fire base, while radioing Manning for new orders. However, the Von Esling was too damaged to respond, so Commander Lissette took command and ordered them to destroy the Psionic Decimator before it could fire again. The advance through the city was slow and painful. Without infantry support, the armoured column could be swarmed and destroyed piecemeal. The Athena Cannon had to resort to demolishing whole buildings in order to root out infantry firing from within, prompting all Imperial infantry to leave the buildings and attack openly, which in turn could be stopped by the Athena Satellite activating its Aegis system. In truth, the column wasn't devastated because most of the Garrison was fighting the 1st. Meanwhile, the Rocket Angels were forced to make an about turn back towards the heart of Tokyo to counter the new threat. Theoretically, the Angels' powerful AT rocket pods and paralysis whips would have made mince meat of the 2nd, however, in their haste to get to the threat, the Angels made the fatal mistake of flying right over the Allied airbases, which wasted no time in launching its wings of Apollo Fighters to intercept the Angels. Despite all their training, their rocket pods and jet packs were no match for the Sol autocannons of the Apollos, and soon, they were all shot down. The way to the Psionic Decimator was now clear. Approaching the walled compound housing the Psionic Decimator, the Guardian tanks spread out, awaiting whatever would come out. As soon as the Athena Cannon started painting the walls with its spectrum designators, the Silver Feather burst through the walls and into the tanks. Wading into the tanks, and destroying others with its eye-beams, the column was ripped apart, with return fire minimally affecting it. The Silver Feather picked up the Athena Cannon and broke it in two, but a passing Cryocopter heading to support the 1st Marine Division spotted the battle, and used its Shrink Ray on the Silver Feather just as it began its bull rush towards the last platoon of Guardians. The lead Guardian then simply charged head on at the now man-sized King Oni, smashing it into half. The four surviving tanks burst into the otherwise undefended compound and shelled the Psionic Decimator until it was demolished. The Last Emperor By this time Manning had reestablished communication with the scattered remnants of his force, and ordered the crew to attack a vulnerable, but very important target to the Rising Sun psyche: the Imperial Palace. As the tanks treaded towards the grounds, which was very close to Shiba Park to begin with, Manning requested, and received, infantry from the 2nd to defend his base, and to support any further attacks. With the threat to the Imperial Palace, however, Tatsu and his guard were bound by honour to defend the sacred sites, and withdrew from Ota. During the withdrawal, Kenji's command mecha was hit and disabled, prompting him to fight on foot for the rest of the battle. The Tokyo garrison, now lacking in backup, disintegrated under Lissette's renewed push, causing a link up with Manning's base and remaining forces. The battered but emboldened 2nd Corps surrounded the Imperial Palace, demanding a surrender and end to the collateral damage to the city. By now, the remainder of the Tokyo Guard was hunted down and completely destroyed by the 1st when trying to fall back to save the Imperial Palace. Faced with imminent defeat, the Emperor refused to surrender. To do so would bring shame upon Japan and his father for centuries. Since the Allied air force had already destroyed any heavy equipment his men had (including the Will-of-the-Wisp, which was crippled by a smashed leg), he concluded the only way to ensure victory was a mass infantry charge by his honour guard. It is unknown if Tatsu intended this as a final, desperate attack, or a honourable death in battle. Regardless, Manning and Lissette were appalled by the mass charge of Tatsu, his Shoguns and bodyguards, and all his men charging with beam katanas like a scene from a battle centuries ago. They succeeded in swarming the 2nd Division, swarming over the tanks and pulling thier crews out. With a spirit hard to understand by westerners, they turned to the base at Shiba Park. Under fire from the walls of the base itself, the Rising Sun soldiers charged. Peacekeepers shot again and again into them, with Heavy Defenders and Riflemen adding to the fire, but so great was their fury that they ignored hits that would down lesser men, and ignored those that fell next to them. Even the amplified barks of Attack Dogs did nothing but end in the canine's death. All the valour in the world, however, could not stop the inevitable, as each man was killed in turn. Orami, Yuzi, Kenji, and then finally Shinzo and Tatsu were wounded as the last two in the charge, falling to the ground mere feet from the base. Peacekeepers approached the two men, shotguns at the ready. Tatsu gurgled his last wish to Shinzo, that he give him his sword, which Shinzo tossed to him. The Peacekeeper's raised their guns, expecting a final attack, but instead Tatsu looked serenely at a cherry blossom, before rising to his knees and committing seppuku. Across the battlefield, wounded Honor Guards bowed to the Emperor, as Peacekeepers were caught in the moment, saluting the fallen foe. On the Von Esling, Manning ordered a moment of silence. Emperor Tatsu was dead, and the Rising Sun had set. Aftermath For a few days, the 2nd Corps occupied Tokyo, guarding it against any counterattack from the rest of Japan. In the meantime, a trickle of civilians returned to repair the damage and guard against looters (both of which the Peacekeepers were already engaged in.) The culture shock from the Peacekeepers shook many Japanese to the core. Where once there might have been posters of kimono dressed girls and traditional Shakuhachi music, now they watched as Devona William's posters and obscene songs like Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" polluted the atmosphere of Tokyo. Many holy spots were now open to the trampling of rubber boots and camera flashes as Peacekeepers on leave visited the sights. While horrifying, it also prompted a great change in Japanese culture, one more in line with the West, and of peace. Shogun Kamina, fresh from his victory in Pearl Harbor, flew to Tokyo to officially surrender the Empire of the Rising Sun to the Allies. Accepting the surrender on the Republic was Field Marshal Bingham, along with Manning and Lissette. Surrendering along with Kamina was Major Honoo Miyashita (pilot of the Will-of-the-Wisp) who had assumed command of the Tokyo Garrison. The surrender marked the end of the war between the Rising Sun and the Allies, and a new era of peace for the Pacific. Live coverage of the event from BNN on the matter was broadcast to the whole world, titled Forever Sets The Sun. After the surrender there was a formal event, most noted by Commander Manning being absent. The rumour is that Manning was asked by two different people to attend, and feigned the tropical disease from Cuba flaring up again to avoid the embarrassment. Shogun Kamina had assumed control of the Rising Sun, and across the land a call for Kamina to be Emperor raised. This was resisted by old conservatives (who saw Kamina as a coward who betrayed the Emperor) and new liberals (who saw Kamina as a dangerous relic of the militaristic past). In the end, it was the Zaibatsus who caused it to happen, especially the Toyama family, given that Kamina had one of their daughters as an intelligence officer. Emperor Kamina was given the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan. Because the Zaibatsus were the major supporters behind Kamina becoming Emperor, many predicted that they would influence Kamina's reign greatly. In the period of occupation, many Japanese civilians and POWs went missing. After a full investigation by Interpol, it was found that Cryocopters were ordered to freeze people and drop them off in Shiba Park, where Lissette was commanding from. It was found that she had an entire "garden" of frozen people, set to heroic and grotesque poses, accessible by Lissette alone. Lissette was quickly relieved of her command and sent to a mental institute. The reasons for her breakdown are not clear, but many theories have appeared, ranging from stress arising due to the war to a failed affair with another officer. The people she froze was thawed, given a hot cup of coffee, and US $50 worth in yen before being released. The Chronosphere was used to right the Idaho to its rightful place, along with recovering the hulls of ships destroyed by Yuriko. Many eyewitness accounts also place Yuriko on Okinawa at the same time as she was in Tokyo Bay. Some have theorised that Yuriko had a sister that was at the battle at the same time. These reports have been dismissed as "clearly horizontal" by Allied High Command. Shinzo was among the few survivors of the last charge, picked up with terrible wounds by Allied medical staff and treated at a nearby triage center. By the time he had recovered from his wounds, Kamina was Emperor and the Empire was at peace. Kamina invited Shinzo to be his right-hand man and head of the military. Shocked by the developments around him and feeling as though the world was starting to leave him behind, Shinzo agreed. Hanyo refused to follow the last charge due to his guardianship of the baby he found. Rumour has it he left Tokyo and is wandering Japan, still pushing the stroller he found. No one knows for sure because he has a tendency to kill those he doesn't like. Category:Battles